New Beer Sunday (Week 681)

Well, well, anther stab at the NE style IPA by another "BIG" brewery.

I have been waiting to try this one and it just droped out here in NJ.

This ones New Belgium Juicy Haze IPA - with a o-so lovely best by date of july 1st.


My god the beer pours Haze for daze! Deep hazy orange color with a fluffy with head, looks incredible to be honest.

The appearance alone had my mouth salivating then I went in for the sniffy sniff, then again, and again. And only on the third wiff did I BEGIN to get MILD very faint and mild notes of of citrus in the background, as if it's essence only remains as a ghost passing through, virtually undetected.

But then i took a sip, and the mouthfeel up front was pretty awesome, creamy and med - full in body but the finish had a strange grain like taste that came trough, little to no perceived bitterness on the pallet. Very smooth.

The beer is using a American Hefeweizen yeast stain for it's hazy appearance which is kinda weird.

They nailed the appearance and mouthfeel but failed on the hop complexity. Solid beer overall.

 

First up , Willful Delusions of False Perceptions , from Foreign Objects . Not sure about the name (See a couple of possibilities below.), but my honest perception is that this is a really good beer.
I've never had Melba hops, and Topaz only mixed in with a bunch of others . If this is any indication, I like 'em. Three elements that are different from standard for the style, with this one :
1) Grapefruit (aroma) shows up only after it warmed. Other, non-citrus, aromas predominate.
2) There was a floral element, in aroma and flavor , that wasn't some version of the usual chamomile, goldenrod, or honey vein. Call it "hibiscus" ,as in herbal teas.
3) "Red berries" ? That might get you in (gastro-intestinal) trouble. Let's say red raspberry.There was a hint of that on the finish, in the latter half of it, after it started warming.

4.46/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50313/332052/?ba=mikeinportc#review


Guess on the name & some of description: start here https://babel-generator.herokuapp.com/ or here http://www.dack.com/web/bullshit.html , then tweak to fit . (I came close to the can verbiage, on the first site, by starting with "frenzy","culture", and "delusion" .)

Corn smell? How is it as far as that? That's the one thing I can't get past in most AALs. Even in better example's , such as ('16)SNBCAA's Southern Table Beer. I struggled to finish the first one, & gave away the second.
As for Lemondrop, I've had it twice. First in a "Brett saison" aged in red wine barrels, that was then refermented with DH'd Lemondrop. I could definitely taste the lemon, even through the wine barrel. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32700/268122/?ba=mikeinportc#review
2nd was an unremarkable IPA, at an event. Forget what or from whom, as there were ~20 wineries, & 7 breweries. Other offerings buried the memory. In both cases, I got a lemon candy flavor, though a bit less sweet than that.

That's what I wanted to do, but none in the singles. Maybe Wegman's in about a week? (Beer Manager told me once that he puts new singles out Fri & Sat.(Actually new, not just "more")

Thanks for that. Good to know. Those are beers I might have a chance of seeing.

There's an idea! It's on the (mental) list.
@utopiajane
Maria, given your cooking skills, I'd guess it'd just be a matter of (short) time, before you have it down. Just cooking of a different sort.
I used to do it , but my stuff got flooded, & wrecked. ('04 or '05, in a flash flood, not in one of the big ones in '06). Then I got laid off in '06, & just never got back to it. Started getting the bug again last year. When my tax refund came in , a couple of weeks ago, I almost jumped into it. On 2nd thought, maybe a little reading is in order? I live in a different place now, with (wayyyy!) less room& just guessing, it'd be easier for me when it's warmer.
I remember my first batch. A porter. Tasted fine, but I had to open 'em in a big bowl in the sink, as 1/3-2/3 would boil out. It settled down after a few months, but they were a tad inconvenient to drink.
In looking around, I see that most small batch kits cost more than just buying beer. I'm going to have to think about what I want to brew. Btw, if you can't find quite what you want, & don't mind a trip to Binghamton, Doc's Homebrew Supplies might be a good place to check.

(& I know- "wild" is likely best done in fall, & not as a beginner project, though I did do one by accident, ~ 15 yrs ago.)

I passed on it, but it was less than $12.99. The beer store near me is usually 50c or $1 less than the grocery stores . (Weis,Wegman's, & Price Chopper) whodathunkit? PA outpacing NY in trying to extract $ from us?

I thought it was OK, but not something worth searching for. Don't feel you missed out.

No need. That 2nd shot, beer-****, is enough.

 

Hi, NBS, I’m ovaltine. I’m recovering from the hootenanny otherwise known as the NBS BIF #007 “The Spy Who Beered Me” Hints & Hauls thread, so please be patient with me - I’m trying to incorporate geometry, geography, trivial minutiae, and beer nerdery into a coherent state of mind whilst offering you magnificent beer nerds a couple of new beers.

And thank you to @cjgiant for his launch that reminded me that my Hoosiers didn’t make the tournament for the 2nd year in a row. #1987Rocks.

I have a couple of beers to offer tonight, both breweries will be represented in the boxes I ship later this week. First up, an old school DIPA.



4.15/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Deep, burnt orange color, “old school” hop haze, and a tight opaque white head. Juicy citrus hops, with some dank notes, dominate the nose.

The taste is all hops, no discernible malt, and the hops are represented with juicy tangerine flavors, and the slightest note of passion fruit. The feel has some bite, again representing the “old school” DIPA.

The 8.70% ABV is completely masked - this is a dangerous beer. If it had a bit more gravitas (malt), I’d slay dragons to acquire it.

 

Next up, at 4:01 and 54 degrees, is a very nice brew from Hood River: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29573/247069/

 

I almost grabbed that a couple days ago, but passed.

 

Beer four for the day, but I had a charity event to drink at.

3.64/5 rDev -7.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

meh. But really, bitter, bitter. Not that that's a bad thing.
Poured from a bomber to a nonic.
Reasonable head, semi hazy, head fades.
Aroma is kind of malty.
Taste is bitter, bitter, bitter. Did you get that?
Better than a lot of crap beers, but not great.

 

My first new beer today after watching the first Selection Show in a very long time that didn't have my Badgers playing. Add that to the weird new format they used and it was a letdown...

Vanished Valley Watershed IPA



4.48/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 16 ounce can. Pours a light tangerine color that is almost completely opaque. Had a thick, white, foamy head that lingered and left a bit of residue on the glass.

Very fruity smell is very noticeable. It's tough to pick out one specific fruit, but passionfruit seems closest.

Taste is what you'd expect from the smell and that's a good thing. Again, very juicy, but I'm tasting a mix of mango and citrus (maybe tangerine)?

Feel is a little less than full and creamy. Very smooth and not much of an aftertaste.

A nice IPA with full flavor and very easy to drink.

 

Have one of these in the fridge, but based on both of your observations I'll admit to being a bit 'gun shy'. I don't have much of a sweet tooth and can be particularly sensitive to artificial sweetness, so I'm thinking I'll let this one hang out a bit.

Sorry, but the Pokes should've made the tourney before the Sooners, or both should've been left out. Beat both OU and Kansas twice this year. The Trae Young factor appears to be a bit too much to overcome...but selections aren't based on marketing, viewership, and the revenue impacts. Sure...

One of my favorite coffee porters, I'd encourage you to give it a shot unless you're particularly sensitive to coffee.

 

#2, this big Imperial Sweet Stout that has so many rich chocolate flavors, it could’ve been brewed at Hershey World .....



4.27/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Jet black pour, there is zero leakage anywhere in this gorgeous beer that has a positively frothy dark tan head. The aromas are rich, dark chocolate piled on top of milk chocolate - it’s like a Hershey’s Kiss gift bag.

The taste has all the rich chocolate flavors, and a flavor that is remarkably reminiscent of the Guinness ale yeast. Note - I really enjoy the Guinness ale yeast.

If you don’t like Hershey’s candy bars, avoid this beer at all costs. If you do like said candy bars, cash in your Hershey’s certificates and acquire this beer. A pleasure to drink, IMHO.

 

Good to know. I think I saw that can recently. Have to take another look to see if it's where I think it is.

 

Hmmm, sounds to me like it's time to make a trip to Jersey.

 

Not sensitive to it, hate it. Coffee is some nasty tasting stuff.

 

Agreed! I drank it 1/1/17 and liked it a lot. I got the last bottle that my local shop had, in Nov or Dec 2016. One of my beer pals still talks about how much he liked that collab. Cheers!

 

Hello, NBS! It is a pleasure to be here. After a bout of insomnia and an extra-early wake-up call, I'm ready to kick back and relax. Which I'm gonna do with a beer that just about demands that very thing.





Relax by Offshoot, aka The Bruery. Word has it Offshoot got off to an inconsistent start with these IPAs. This will be my first from the Bruery's IPA arm.

No date on the can, but I believe it to be between two weeks and a month old.

Pours the color of nectar, an opaque and dull tawny gold. Half-finger of white head fizzles out quickly, but the bubbles keep a fluffy cap at the top. Average lacing retention.

The citrusy fruit smells hit as soon as the can is popped open. Smells mostly citrusy, a bit of overripe tropical fruits in the background.

Taste follows along those lines. Citrus flavors, a little overripe mango, and a touch of melon. A bit of a bitter melon rind flavor lingers. Not much malt or alcohol flavor.

Full and slick mouthfeel. Smooth and coating. Medium carbonation gives it a soft mouthfeel, but I can't say how it compares to the Nor'easters.

Glass is gone before I'm even done reviewing it. Easy to drink and tastes nicely fresh and fruity.

 

Finally getting to try the Nelson Sauvin hop variant of my favorite TH IPA offering, Bright.
Thanks to Rob, my TH connection,
and thanks to my llama nephews for being llamas!



Canned 3/9/18.
Reviewed 3/11/18.
Gentle to moderate pour yields a one inch plus white head on top of a hazy golden yellow body with nice sticky lacing. Nose of citrus, slight tropical fruit (peach, mango), and a bit of floral dankness. Taste of sauvignon blanc grape, citrus (lime, orange), and a bit of pepper. Soft feel with a nice dry, wine-like finish. Overall, an interesting variant on Bright and a job well done. Cheers to Charlton!

 

Poured a little above room temperature and almost a 2 finger tan head that leaves spotty dotted lace all over the sides of the glass as it settles rather quickly into a thin rather thin ring of foam around the sides of the glass. 4

Smell is bold, toasted coconut, sweet bourbon, traces of coffee grounds, vanilla bean, and dark chocolate. 4

Taste follows really massive toasty toasty coconut, leads right into the bold bourbon, dark chocolate, vanilla, and some roasted coffee. 4

Mouthfeel is a little bigger than medium, watery slightly mild carbonation, maybe a little dry, and this is a massive coconut and bourbon bomb, that would scare away many, I have actually enjoyed, but I don’t know many I would suggest this beer to personally. 4

Overall I was skeptical at first, as bourbon forward as any beer I have ever had and coconut is way over the top also, but after you get down to the nitty gritty it is enjoyable. Thanks @Ocalafox for this 11% ABV giant BA Porter. 4